That journalist should have kept the article to himself. Personally I don't want to eat anything that bleeds actual blood,has a CNS and is/was capable of 'going to the bathroom'. Sorry if it sounds immature but if you really think about what animals do eating pieces or drinking what comes out of their bodies, pass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea.RL

I was looking through this site called suite 101 where free lance journalists can submit articles on all kinds of subjects, and looked for some on vegetarians. One of them really irritated me. He obviously thinks little of vegetarian diets, but it sounded/is very ignorant: he went on answering why people were vegetarian and vegan. He said that vegetarian and vegans supposebly dont eat meat because of animal murder, but that they still ate fruits which is preventing the trees they come from, from reproducing themselves. So that they were still killing living things, and that animals were just a pretext to orthorexia, an eating disorder.
I mean, eating an apple doesnt friggin kill the tree! And it doesnt prevent the reproduction, you can still plant the seeds after! (god what an i*iot that guy is) same goes with lots of other fruits, vegetables and plants...

That journalist should have kept the article to himself. Personally I don't want to eat anything that bleeds actual blood,has a CNS and is/was capable of 'going to the bathroom'. Sorry if it sounds immature but if you really think about what animals do eating pieces or drinking what comes out of their bodies, pass.

He totally should! I mean I respect all point of views, and if he doesnt agree with vegetarianism/veganism that's his right. But to go on and make that kind of stupid remark is beyond me. Plus the article was of bad taste. (not well written)

Haha! :p Naah, that's not immature, it's just life and how you feel about it.

Right, but Chelsea could certainly be gluten-free and still eat meat. Many of my gluten-free friends do. She chose the veg part.

I think she's been veg for a long time. Again, I don't know if she's vegetarian or vegan, but I think the latter.

And I forgot to mention that Bill Clinton is apparently proselytizing the veg word. My friend who met him said he was talking about his new diet to everyone! And she only met him for like .25 seconds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by YoninahAliza

Chelsea Clinton's decision to become gluten free was because of a health related issue, not because she choose to become one for fun, however, now she gets to reap the added benefits of maintaining such a lifestyle.

It used to be easy for moguls to flaunt their power. All they had to do was renovate the chalet in St. Moritz, buy the latest Gulfstream (GD) jet, lay off 5,000 employees, or marry a much younger Asian woman. By now, though, they've used up all the easy ways to distinguish themselves from the rest of us—which may be why a growing number of America's most powerful bosses have become vegan. Steve Wynn, Mort Zuckerman, Russell Simmons, and Bill Clinton are now using tempeh to assert their superiority. As are Ford Executive Chairman of the Board Bill Ford (F), Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, venture capitalist Joi Ito, Whole Foods Market (WFMI) Chief Executive Officer John Mackey, and Mike Tyson. Yes, Mike Tyson, a man who once chewed on human ear, is now vegan. His dietary habit isn't nearly as impressive as that of Alec Baldwin, though, who has found a way to be both vegan and fat at the same time.
It shouldn't be surprising that so many CEOs are shunning meat, dairy, and eggs: It's an exclusive club. Only 1 percent of the U.S. population is vegan, partly because veganism isn't cheap: The cost comes from the value of specialty products made by speciality companies with cloying names (tofurkey, anyone?). Vegans also have to be powerful enough to even know what veganism is.
"CEOs are smart. There just hadn't been enough exposure for people to glom onto this trend," says Ingrid E. Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "The information is everywhere now. Instead of 'Better buy this blue chip,' it's 'Better eat vegan.' " When Newkirk learned Wynn had become a vegan, she didn't think the news was crazy. "Having dolphins in a small tank outside a casino is crazy," she says. "Ordering vegetables is not."
Wynn agrees. The self-described "animal nut," who included the Humane Society of the U.S. in his will, sold the Mirage Hotel—and its dolphin tank—in 2000, and gave up meat and dairy this June. Wynn was converted when his friend—telecom mogul and recent vegan Gulu Lalvani—made him watch Eating, a documentary in which director Mike Anderson explains his strict meat- and oil-free diet. "I watched it, and I changed the next morning," says Wynn. "Bang! Just like that." The transition was eased by the fact that Wynn happened to be on a yacht with a personal chef. As soon as he got home, he began spreading the gospel as only a mogul can—like buying 10,000 copies of Eating, one for each of his employees. "I'm providing the *** for the insurance. If they're sick, we're picking up the tab," says Wynn. "If I can keep them healthier, I'm acting like a smart businessman."
Though he swears it's not a condition of employment, Wynn has persuaded most of his senior management to go vegan. And since the majority of Wynn's lunch companions ask his assistant in advance what he likes to eat, he's got the upper hand at lunch before even sitting down. He can also suggest one of his own joints—Wynn now offers vegan menus at his restaurants in Las Vegas and Macau, including the steakhouses. "Last night I had dinner with Terry Semel, and we were eating at Wing Lei, the Chinese restaurant," Wynn says. "They couldn't believe the stir fry wasn't in oil. Everybody switched to my food."
Wynn's a convincing salesman, but a decade ago even he couldn't have given away free seitan. Being a vegan then was so weird that pundits listed it as a reason Dennis Kucinich couldn't be the Democratic Presidential nominee. "People weren't sure if it was another political party or an ethnic group they'd never heard of," Kucinich says. While the Ohio representative failed to win the Democratic nomination in 2004—and in 2008—Kucinich's diet has become so accepted that he was able to persuade Representative Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.), the head of the Committee on House Administration, to include vegan options in the congressional cafeteria. When Bill Clinton announced his dietary epiphany—"I got back to basically what I weighed in high school," he told Wolf Blitzer this September—Kucinich decided to finally finish his own diet book, whose working title, The Cleveland Diet, will probably be changed by its publisher. Kucinich, however, did not go vegan for power, but rather for love. Fifteen years ago, he says, "I met someone who was vegan when I went to the state senate. This was someone I was very fond of. This was kind of a courtship strategy."

This is how most guys go vegan. According to Bart Potenza, co-owner of Manhattan power vegan restaurant Candle 79, the rise of the power vegan coincides with the rise of the vegan second wife. As the Four Seasons of seitan piccata, Candle 79 regularly hosts not only Zuckerman but also News Corp. (NWSA) CEO Rupert Murdoch and former Viacom (VIA) CEO Tom Freston, who both have pro-vegan wives. "I live in the shadow of a power vegan," says Freston, whose wife, Kathy, got Oprah to convert for a three-week trial. "I'm well on the way myself. It's pretty clear the benefits are undeniable and many." In other words, as Potenza says, "I think she has him pretty much handled."
For others, veganism is a moral imperative. In 2000, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone went to visit Farm Sanctuary, an animal rescue organization with a location in upstate New York, and returned a vegan. So far it hasn't hurt business. "My meal companions are sometimes curious at most," says Stone, "but never judgmental." Though that tends to happen when you run a company with an estimated value of more than one billion dollars.
Farm Sanctuary's board includes a number of powerful vegans, including Tom Anderson, a former partner at McKinsey and CEO of college financing company Upromise. As an associate at McKinsey, he kept his veganism quiet for fear it would make him seem like a hippie. However, as he's climbed the corporate ladder, he's become increasingly eager to share the gospel of his eating ethics. In fact, he's bonded with a few executives over their shared anti-meat-and-dairy proclivities. The only times it hurts him, he claims, are when potential business partners tell hunting stories. "I'll have to say, 'I don't want to hear about that.' Then someone is on the defensive, and you don't want that in a business context," he says. Though as one associate of Dick Cheney can tell you, it's less uncomfortable than getting shot in the face.
Veganism's image, however, could still use some updating. While it remains associated with indie rock stars, such as Moby, and people with pixie haircuts, such as Ellen DeGeneres, it also counts among its newest converts ex-NBA star John Salley, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, former National Hockey League brawler Georges Laraque, professional poker player Daniel Negreanu, and, less recently, pop star and amateur bodybuilder Madonna. Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial artist and vegan Luke Cummo says that he drinks his own urine.
And herein lies veganism's appeal to moguls: It affords them the opportunity to control their own health with the same manic id with which they control everything else. Wynn says his new diet has allowed him to get off Lipitor (PFE). Clinton's diet made him a fashion darling at his daughter's wedding this summer. "It's probably a good thing in a CEO," says Freston about veganism. "At least they won't be toppling over like those McDonald's (MCD) CEOs." This latest show of power, in other words, gives them all the more time to enjoy the Swiss chalet and the private jet.
Businessweek

Anyhoo, holidays are approaching and even though I find Christmas to be extremely commercial and highly depressing a la Charlie Brown, it will be my first vegan Christmas!

And I was just wondering what are your guys favourite vegan treats for the holidays? I found this delicious vegan peanut butter truffle recipe that sounds easy and amazing! Perfect to whip up and give as gifts! Here is the recipe, enjoy

I personally enjoyed the Harvest Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms although I used butternut squash brushed with a bit of brown sugar for mine. With a side of roasted balsalmic Brussel sprouts. It was fantastic!

^ Thanks so much Ashcottmanor, those photos look mouthwatering! I suspect that I will be doing a lot of holiday cooking and baking this winter since I'm pretty sure I'm the only vegan in my whole extended family. Yet I cannot wait to cook up a storm and having my family say with delightful surprise "this is vegan?!"

^ Thanks so much Ashcottmanor, those photos look mouthwatering! I suspect that I will be doing a lot of holiday cooking and baking this winter since I'm pretty sure I'm the only vegan in my whole extended family. Yet I cannot wait to cook up a storm and having my family say with delightful surprise "this is vegan?!"

You're very welcome! I'm sure they will turn out wonderful and your family will be very happy. I've been doing a lot of baking too. I made vegan rum raisin shortbread cookies, shortbread jam cookies, pumpkin pie bites and pumpkin spice cookies. So far they're a hit.

Yes I do just not too much of it because it's sweeter than regular sugar.
HAve you tried using Xanthum Gum in your cookies? They add an elasticity so they batter sticks together better. You can also use Arrowroot for lift

I buy mine at Costco because I bake with it so much, so it's a bit more expensive but for me it's worth it. I'm not sure how much it is at Whole Foods but Safeway might carry Agave now or Trader Joe's.